Proper Bean Storage - This Ain’t Your Mother’s Folgers Can
Gourmet coffee, the kind that you enjoy drinking, costs more today than yesterday. With fuel and transportation costs fluctuating, the price for your favorite treat can hit your pocket hard. It is imperative that once you have received your beans from your latest online order that you store these properly.
There is a raging debate, almost a controversy, in how to store your gourmet beans. One expert argues that you put them in the refrigerator or freezer to keep them fresh. Then another, seemingly genius, expert says no, coffee beans must be stored in an air-tight container at room temperature. And another one advocates one method for ground coffee and a different method for whole beans. Who is right and does it really matter anyway?
Green Coffee Beans
Green beans are raw, unroasted coffee beans. If home roasting is your passion then storing green beans is as simple as putting these in an air-tight jar. A glass jar with the lid that has a rubber seal and a clamp is perfect.
Whole Coffee Bean
This is what most people associate with a coffee bean. It has been roasted to the desired roast and sold by grade. Use an air-tight, glass (preferred) jar or canister, like the one used for green beans. Store at room temperature, never refrigerated or frozen. Whole roasted beans keep well for up to two weeks, so only buy as much as you will use in that time. Glass is preferred over plastic because the oil in coffee absorbs odors. New plastic is full of offensive odors that can affect the flavor of your coffee. (TIP - put used coffee grounds in an open container in your refrigerator to absorb food odors.)
Since light impacts the freshness of the coffee bean use dark glass containers if possible. If you are using clear glass then store the container in a cool, dark place, like a pantry cabinet. Also avoid metal containers. If glass is not available then use ceramic.
Roasted coffee naturally gives off gas so vent your storage container every couple of days.
If you have beans remaining after two weeks then these can be stored in the freezer for up to two months. Because freezing alters the moisture structure of the bean grind and brew the beans while frozen. Once thawed, these cannot be refrozen. Prior to freezing, wrap your beans tighly in plastic wrap to avoid absorbing odors.
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